Row 44 poised to go international

Row 44 is readying to launch it high-speed in-flight connectivity service outside of the USA, starting with Scandinavian carrier Norwegian.

The California-based firm, whose Ku-band satellite-based broadband solution was trialled by Alaska Airlines and selected by Southwest Airlines for fleet-wide rollout, says Norwegian will begin offering the service this summer.

Norwegian in April 2009 inked a deal with Row 44 to equip its entire Boeing 737-800 fleet with the connectivity system. Equipage was scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of that year.

After the launch on Norwegian, Row 44 expects to provide service on transatlantic routes in the fall, and on transpacific routes "in early 2011", Row 44 CEO John Guidon said today at the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) single focus workshop in Los Angeles.

He did not reveal which carrier will launch Row 44's service on those long-haul routes.